The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
Author:
Genre: Health, Fitness & Dieting
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genre: Health, Fitness & Dieting
Book Type: Paperback
Detailed (or at least long) review:
Highlights:
-Alicia starts with her story and journey to veganism, which I think helped me better understand where she was coming from as the book went on. Plus, it always helps to get a personal testimony when presenting something that can be controversial.
-quick read. I would normally say "easy read", but I'll admit a few parts involving animals was not so easy to read. However, I understand that this is part of understanding a drastically new diet, and I didn't see it as a way of "guilting" you into getting rid of animal products from your diet or lifestyle. The book is nicely organized and easy to pace yourself with. There are plenty of sub-headings in chapters for breaks. It is apparent she has done her research without it reading like a journal article or using complex vocabulary.
-recipes. It's a comfort to have a springboard or at least something to experiment with. However, look through these recipes carefully. Depending on several factors (availability, where you live, etc.), some ingredients may be hard to find and/or expensive. Also keep in mind that reading through these recipes may give you an idea of which ones to start with. I have found that some of these are not to my taste (part of experimenting, I know, but for those who are cautious about trying new recipes, beware).
-shopping. She does offer a chart and some descriptions of what she dubs "kind" foods. Proved to be very helpful when seeing what was available in my area when I was out and about, how many substitutions there really are, and a good starting point of what to explore.
Some cons:
-binding. A very minor issue, but a spiral binding or even binder appearance might be more helpful to be able to lay the book flat when trying out the recipes.
-depictions. This depends on the sensitivity of the reader. Some may be very upset by the brief (yet still difficult to read) descriptions of what occurs in the factory farming industry. As a general note, just proceed with caution. If anything, you may feel a bit more educated with what happens to your food before it becomes just that.
-dietary concerns. I've had to look elsewhere as far as what foods are valued in calcium, vitamins, etc. I found the Organic Food Shopper's Guide to be very helpful in that regard (he lists foods according to food groups, and part of their description includes what supplements are found in it).
-some skepticism. Honestly, I feel that this is a work from the heart, however, I did feel a bit skeptical about some points. In one of her recipes, she encourages the use of miso, but especially barley miso because it's the most medicinal. No citation to back that up, and that type of miso is also the most expensive. There are also a few passages I recognize nearly word for word from other books I checked out on her recommended reading list at the end of the book--but with no credit or citation reference to where she got this information (not that I recall).
-website. thekindlife.com is a good place to check out and click around to see if you're still interested in reading her book (no, there aren't any chapters on the website, though a few recipes have escaped from the book). The website itself has changed over the years, so it's hard for me to give an objective point on it, especially since I don't visit it as often as I used to).
My impression? I became vegan soon after reading this book (for about 2 years as I now follow a more pescetarian, yet still very plant-based diet), though I would recommend other titles (many of them are listed in her book as recommended reading, or you can always look for the highly rated books on amazon) to be thorough. This book is a good start for those curious about veganism, or even being a flexitarian (occasional consumption of animal products), but it shouldn't be the only book read regarding this subject.
Highlights:
-Alicia starts with her story and journey to veganism, which I think helped me better understand where she was coming from as the book went on. Plus, it always helps to get a personal testimony when presenting something that can be controversial.
-quick read. I would normally say "easy read", but I'll admit a few parts involving animals was not so easy to read. However, I understand that this is part of understanding a drastically new diet, and I didn't see it as a way of "guilting" you into getting rid of animal products from your diet or lifestyle. The book is nicely organized and easy to pace yourself with. There are plenty of sub-headings in chapters for breaks. It is apparent she has done her research without it reading like a journal article or using complex vocabulary.
-recipes. It's a comfort to have a springboard or at least something to experiment with. However, look through these recipes carefully. Depending on several factors (availability, where you live, etc.), some ingredients may be hard to find and/or expensive. Also keep in mind that reading through these recipes may give you an idea of which ones to start with. I have found that some of these are not to my taste (part of experimenting, I know, but for those who are cautious about trying new recipes, beware).
-shopping. She does offer a chart and some descriptions of what she dubs "kind" foods. Proved to be very helpful when seeing what was available in my area when I was out and about, how many substitutions there really are, and a good starting point of what to explore.
Some cons:
-binding. A very minor issue, but a spiral binding or even binder appearance might be more helpful to be able to lay the book flat when trying out the recipes.
-depictions. This depends on the sensitivity of the reader. Some may be very upset by the brief (yet still difficult to read) descriptions of what occurs in the factory farming industry. As a general note, just proceed with caution. If anything, you may feel a bit more educated with what happens to your food before it becomes just that.
-dietary concerns. I've had to look elsewhere as far as what foods are valued in calcium, vitamins, etc. I found the Organic Food Shopper's Guide to be very helpful in that regard (he lists foods according to food groups, and part of their description includes what supplements are found in it).
-some skepticism. Honestly, I feel that this is a work from the heart, however, I did feel a bit skeptical about some points. In one of her recipes, she encourages the use of miso, but especially barley miso because it's the most medicinal. No citation to back that up, and that type of miso is also the most expensive. There are also a few passages I recognize nearly word for word from other books I checked out on her recommended reading list at the end of the book--but with no credit or citation reference to where she got this information (not that I recall).
-website. thekindlife.com is a good place to check out and click around to see if you're still interested in reading her book (no, there aren't any chapters on the website, though a few recipes have escaped from the book). The website itself has changed over the years, so it's hard for me to give an objective point on it, especially since I don't visit it as often as I used to).
My impression? I became vegan soon after reading this book (for about 2 years as I now follow a more pescetarian, yet still very plant-based diet), though I would recommend other titles (many of them are listed in her book as recommended reading, or you can always look for the highly rated books on amazon) to be thorough. This book is a good start for those curious about veganism, or even being a flexitarian (occasional consumption of animal products), but it shouldn't be the only book read regarding this subject.
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